Device for turning welts



Jan. 13, 1942.

Filed April 5, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 as 2 1 vi 3: E

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7 I la 4/ 1/ [a e3 23 .e/ a; 24

- Jnrnfong Jan. 13, 1942. c. SCHERPE EI'AL DEVICE FOR TURNING WELTS Filed April 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan.v13, 1942. SCHERPE ETAL 2,270,144

DEVICE FOR TURNING WELTS Filed April 3, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Jan. 13, 1942 TES FICE

Carl Scherpe and Fritz Kiihler, Chemnitz, Germany Application April 3, 1941, Serial No. 386,734 Inv Germany January 9, 1940 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to flat knitting machines and more specifically is concerned with machines of this kind having an automatic device for turning the welts of stockings and provided with a horizontal draw off for the welt bars as well as with a weight actuated draw off for the welt bars and the fabric rollers.

Known devices for automatically producing welts are provided with shafts influencing the welt bars as well as the fabric to be rolled up which extend over the entire length of the machine and are loaded by weights acting by way of ropes and rope rollers. Whereas the so-called welt bar shaft is loaded by the weight only until the moment the welt rods are drawn 01f, loading by weight of the so-called fabric roller shaft is required from the moment the welt rods are drawn off until the knitting of the stocking is finished. Therefore, it is necessary to load the fabric roller shaft in the moment the welt rods are inserted and to release the hitherto loaded welt bar shaft. The release of the load of the welt bar shaft is necessary, because otherwise the transfer of the welt bars into the range of the frame needles for the purpose of closing the welts ought to be effected under load which would cause a special consumption of energy and an undesired s retching of the loops. The release of the load of the welt bar shaft, however, is absolutely necessary for the following reason. At the beginning of the production of the Welts the welt bars are located in the range of the frame needles for the purpose of picking up the nooses of the starting courses. After gripping the nooses, the Welt bars are loaded by weights acting upon the welt bar shaft so as to allow the welt bars to draw off the following courses. After finishing th welt length, the nooses of the starting courses held upon the welt bars are transferred to the frame needles. This return of the welt bars into the range of the frame needles requires performing a larger movement than the draw off movement, because a vertical movement is to be performed besides the horizontal.

Now, it has been found, that this extension of the return of the welt bars must lead to fracture or damage of elements of the machine if at the beginning of the draw off the Weight is drawn upwardly until it reaches the upper guide roller for the rope, because then, the positive return movement of the welt bars is prevented due to the weight abutting against the upper rope guide roller.

It has, moreover, been found that, for drawing off the welt bars, the weight of the shaft of the fabric roller also is not allowed to be drawnv upwardly until it abuts against the upper rope guide roller, because-then at the following welt transfer the weight also would abut against the upper rope guide roller and prevent the necessary movements.

In accordance with the invention these sources of errors are removed by the fact, that, when the welt bar shaft is loaded by weight a transfer movement of the welt bars, for the purpose of closing the welts, is prevented, and the fabric roller shaft may be loaded by weight to a certain height only which is controlled by the Welt bar shaft.

Devices for automatically turning welts are known already in which the welt bars and the fabric rollers are drawn off by weight. Due to the draw off movement not exceeding the return movement, however, no troubles whatever occur if the draw off of the welt bars and of the fabric roller cooperate with each other.

In the accompanying drawings one construction according to the invention is shown by way of example.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the device according to the invention, the weight of the welt bar shaft and of the fabric roller shaft being shown in a lifted position before the draw bar shifting the roller is moved,

Fig. 2 shows a portion of the device illustrated in Fig. 1 after finishing the movement of the draw bar,

Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 illustrates an elevation of the device, showing the weight of the welt bar shaft in its lowermost position and the weight of the fabric roller shaft in a lifted position before moving the draw bar causing'shifting of the roller,

Fig. 5 is a broken away elevation after termination of the movement of the draw bar,

Fig. 6 shows a side elevation of'the device accordinf-i. to Fig. 4, and

Figs. '7 and 8 show details.

Loosely mounted upon the welt bar shaft l is a rope wheel Zround which is placed a rope 3. A pawl of the wheel 2, not shown in the drawings, cooperates in a well known manner with a ratchet wheel, also not shown in the drawings, and mounted upon the shaft I.

The rope 3 is loaded by a weight 4 and guided over an upper guide roller 5. Mounted upon the wheel 2 is a dog 6 in the range of which a lever 8 is located which is pivoted at 1 and is pressed against a stationary stop I under the action of a tension spring 9. Bearing against the lever B is a lever arm II of a bell crank lever I I, I2 pivoted at I3. The other lever arm I2 is connected to a draw rod I5 subjected to the action of a tension spring I4. The draw rod I5 otherwise is connected to the arm I6 of a bell crank lever I6, I! pivoted at Ill. The other lever arm I! influences a stepped wedge I9 having the steps and 2|. The stepped wedge I9 is located in the range of a stop 22 of a draw rod 23 guided in arms 24. The draw rod 23 is acted upon by a compression spring 25. A roller shifting lever 26 ending in a fork is fixed to one end of the rod 23.

Pivoted at 21 is a lever 23 carrying a bolt 29 upon which a roller 30 is slidably mounted the hub of which is provided with an annular groove into which engages the fork-like end of the roller shifting lever 26. Linked to the free end of the lever 28 is a rack 3| which by means of a guide 32 may engage atoothed wheel 33 mounted upon the welt bar shaft I. The roller 36 cooperates with a cam 34 mounted upon the main cam shaft 35.

Guided in the arms 24 is another draw rod 36 which is influenced by a spring 31. Fixed upon the rod 36 is a stop 38 acting upon the stepped wedge I9.

Rotatably mounted upon the fabric roller shaft 39 is a rope wheel 49 around which a rope 4| is placed. A pawl of the wheel 40, not shown in the drawings, cooperates in a well known manner with a ratchet wheel, also not shown in the drawings, and mounted upon the shaft 39. The rope 4| is loaded with a weight 42 and guided around an upper rope guide roller 43. A doublearmed lever 44, is pivotally mounted upon the welt bar shaft I. The lever arms of this doublearmed lever are cranked in opposite directions. The crank of the lever arm 44 consists of two bolts 46, 41 between which is located the lever 8. The crank of the other lever arm 45 is provided with a narrow notch or incision through which the rope 4| may be led. The rope has a thickening, for instance a knot 48 or the like, which with the weight occupying its lowermost position abuts against the upper rope guid roller 43.

The operation of the new device is as follows:

If the welt length is produced as far as to the insertion of the welt rods, the fabric roller shaft 39 is, for the purpose of inserting the welt rods loaded until, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the knot 48 abuts against the crank of the lever 45. This loading is effected as long as the welt bar shaft I is still loaded. Then the welt bar shaft I is released as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, whereby the dog 6 of the rope wheel 2 moves the lever 8 against the action of the spring 9 in such a manner that, as may be seen from Fig. '7, this lever by way of the bell crank lever II, I2 shifts the draw rod I5 against the action of the spring I4. The rod I5 in turn influences, by way of the bell crank lever I6, H the stepped wedge I9 in such a manner that the broad step 20 is brought into the range of the stop 22. Then the pawl of the rope wheel 2 is disengaged so that the wheel may free- 1y rotate. By the bolts 46, 41 of the lever arm 44 located laterally of the lever B, the doublearmed lever 44, 45 is shifted if the lever 8 is disengaged so that simultaneously the lever arm 45 is moved out of the range of the rope 4|.

After finishing the welt length shifting of the draw rod 36 in the direction of the arrow .1: (Fig. 4) is effected against the action of the spring 31 to close the welts, whereby by way of the stop 38 the movement is transferred to the stop 22 by way of the stepped wedge I9 located between the two stops so that simultaneously the draw rod 23 with the roller shifting lever 26 also is moved against the action of the spring 25. Hereby the roller 30 is shifted upon the bolt 29 in such a manner, as to engage the cam 34 of the main cam shaft 35 (Fig. 5).

If now the cam 34 is rotated, the roller 30 and therefore the lever 28 are lifted which latter upwardly displaces the rack 3| linked to this lever. By engagement of the rack 3| into the toothed wheel 33 of the welt bar shaft I the latter is rotated and thereby the welt bars guided upon this shaft are shifted in the direction towards the frame needles without lifting the weight 4.

By the transfer operation rotation of the fabric roller shaft 39 due to the yielding of the welt rods occurs without the weight 42 having an opportunity of abutting against the upper rope guide roller 43.

If as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the welt bar shaft is loaded, loading of the fabric roller shaft 39 may be effected to a certain height only so that during the transfer of the welt any abutting oi the weight 42 of the fabric roller shaft against the upper rope guide roller 43 is prevented.

With loaded welt bar shaft I (Figs. 1 and 3) also an abutting of the weight 4 of the welt bar shaft I against the upper rope guide roller 5 is prevented. As the dog 6 of the rope wheel 2 is rotated out of the range of the lever 8 the latter under the action of the spring 9 bears against the stationary stop l0. Hereby the bell crank lever II, I2 also is shifted which by way of the draw rod I5 and the bell crank lever I6, I'| shifts the stepped wedge I9 in such a manner that the narrow step 2| of the latter is adjusted between the stops 22 and 38. At the now following movement of the draw rod 36 in the direction of the arrow y (Fig. 1) bridging over of the free intermediate space between the two stops is effected only without, however, acting upon the draw rod 23 and, therefore, upon the roller shifting lever 26 (Fig. 2) so that the rack 3| as well as the welt bar shaft I are prevented from being influenced and closing of the knitted welts is not effected.

After the welt has been transferred the weight 42 of the fabric roller shaft 39 is lifted until it abuts against the upper rope guide roller 43 without there being any obstacle if the roller 43 is rotated in the opposite direction again.

What we claim is:

1. A flat knitting machine as set forth, comprising a welt bar shaft extending over the entire length of the machine, a rope wheel rotatably mounted upon said welt bar shaft, a fabric roller shaft also extending over the entire length of the machine, a guide roller, 2. weight connected to a rope placed over said guide roller and over said rope wheel and loading said welt bar shaft, a second guide roller, a second weight connected to a second rope placed over said second guide roller and loading said fabric roller shaft, the arrangement being such that with said welt bar shaft loaded by said first mentioned weight transfer movement of the welt bars for the purpose of closing welts is prevented, and that said fabric roller shaft is loaded by said second weight up to a definit height controlled by said welt bar shaft.

2. A flat knitting machine as set forth, comprising a welt bar shaft extending over the entire length of the machine, a rope wheel rotatably mounted upon said welt bar shaft, a dog provided at said rope wheel, a pivoted lever, a tension Spring acting upon said pivoted lever, a cam shaft, a cam mounted upon said cam shaft, a roller adapted to engage said cam for transferring the welt, and a double-armed lever rotatably mounted upon said welt bar shaft and limiting the position of height of the weight loading said fabric roller shaft.

3. A flat knitting machine as set forth, comprising a welt bar shaft extending over the entire length of the machine, a rope Wheel rotatably mounted upon said welt bar shaft, a dog provided at said rope wheel, a pivoted lever, a tension spring acting upon said pivoted lever, a cam shaft, a cam mounted upon 'said cam shaft, a roller adapted to engage said cam for transferring the welt, a double-armed lever rotatably mounted upon said welt bar shaft, a stop against which said pivoted lever is drawn by means of the weight acting upon said welt bar shaft, a draw bar carrying a stop, a second draw bar also carrying a stop, and a wedge having a small step and a broad step adapted to cooperate with said two stops, the arrangement being such that with the small step operating shifting of said roller into contact with said cam is prevented, and with the broad step in operative position said roller is directly shifted into engagement with said cam.

4. A fiat knitting machine as set forth in claim 2 in which said double-armed lever is rotatably mounted upon said welt bar shaft and is cranked in opposite direction at the ends of its lever arms in such a manner that one of the cranks, consisting of two bolts, laterally encloses said pivoted lever influenced by the dog of the welt bar shaft, whereas the other crank has a notch or incision through which the rope acting upon said fabric roller may be led and may be caught by a thickening in the form of a knot provided in said rope.

CARL SCl-lERPE. FRITZ KOHLER. 

